ACUPUNCTURE FOR STROKES
From treating pain to easing nausea, acupuncture is becoming more common in the United States. Now scientists are impressed with how the ancient therapy can help stroke patients get back to a more normal life.
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She may be 94, but Margaret Gallinetti is the one caring for others -- even after she had a stroke last year.
Margaret Gallinetti
Had a stroke
"I couldn't talk at all and couldn't eat."
The stroke made it hard for Margaret to move the right side of her mouth and left her right eyelid droopy.
So she took a chance on a not-so-mainstream treatment for stroke patients -- acupuncture.
Margaret Gallinetti
"I thought, 'Well, let's try.'"
Angie Hughes
Acupuncturist
Providence Mount St. Vincent
Seattle, WA
"The sooner you can get in and get acupuncture, the better the recovery potential."
Angie Hughes supervises this acupuncture clinic at a retirement community. She's seen the treatment work firsthand.
Angie Hughes
"We're getting an increased circulation to limbs, so therefore increased mobility we're getting. Seen a lot of pain relief and a lot less numbness and tingling in the affected limbs."
Several studies show patients do well with acupuncture, especially during the first few weeks after a stroke. Much of the findings are from China where the treatment is regularly used.
Without acupuncture, Margaret says she wouldn't be able to get out and about.
Margaret Gallinetti
"Probably just sit home like a lot of them do and never go anywhere."
While more research is needed, patients like Margaret say the only proof they need is the way they feel.
The National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization have both given their formal approval of using acupuncture to help patients recover after a stroke.
BACKGROUND: Angie Hughes, an acupuncturist at Providence Mount St. Vincent in Seattle says helping stroke patients recover by using acupuncture is a common practice in China. She says after having a stroke, the patient is taken to the hospital where they undergo acupuncture twice a day. She says, "The most important thing is to really get the nerves firing that have been damaged by the actual stroke. The sooner you can get in and get acupuncture, the better the recovery potential."
WHAT IT DOES: Hughes says, "Part of our challenge is that when there's been a lot of structural damage done to the body as a result of the stroke, it's really hard to keep the circulation going to channels and nerve pathways that have already closed down." She says when people begin acupuncture within two to three months after suffering a stroke, they are able to have very good results. Circulation to the limbs increases, which aids mobility. Patients experience pain relief and have less numbness and tingling in their affected limbs.
HOW IT WORKS: Hughes says exactly how acupuncture works is still a bit of a mystery. She says it is known that acupuncture changes the chemical balance of the body. And putting acupuncture needles into a patient results in endorphins being released. That helps with relaxation and with pain. Acupuncture works on the nervous system, keeping the nerve pathways moving and the nerves firing.
TREATMENT: Treatment varies from patient to patient. Some people have acupuncture sessions every week, while some people come for 10 or 12 sessions, take a break, and then continue with them. Hughes recommends weekly sessions to her patients. Athletes who use acupuncture for sports-related injuries typically have five or six sessions. But with stroke patients, it usually continues much longer.
OTHER USES: Hughes says many people already know acupuncture can be effective in treating pain. Now, the challenge is to educate the public on other conditions that acupuncture can help, such as digestive disorders, flu viruses, and immune system disorders. Hughes says, "It is all about enhancing people's quality of life. If we can improve a little bit of mobility and create a little less pain in the body, people can kind-of regain their control." She says she would like to see acupuncture used at pain and other rehab clinics, and in conjunction with physical therapy.
Arlene Carter
Providence Mount St. Vincent
(206) 938-6191
arlene.carter@providence.org
www.providence.org/themount
To find an acupuncturist in your area:
www.acufinder.com
Copyright © 2005 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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